How Whaling Shaped Herman Melville, Moby Dick, and America

Herman Melville, born into a privileged family in New York, faced hardship after financial loss and his father's death. He worked at sea, including on a whaling ship, gaining experiences that influenced his writing. Whaling was a major 19th-century industry, crucial to the US economy. Melville's novel, Moby Dick, draws from his sea adventures, focusing on Captain Ahab's revenge quest against a white whale and Ishmael's search for knowledge.

What event led to Herman Melville being taken out of his privileged life and put to work?

• The financial panic of 1837

• The invention of the steam engine

• The American Civil War

• The discovery of gold in California

What was Herman Melville's role on the whaling vessel in the Bahamas?

• Cook

• Harpoonist

• Navigator

• Captain

In the 19th century, what was the primary use of whale oil in America?

• Fuel for cars

• Lighting homes

• Medicine

• Cooking

What percentage of the world's whaling fleets were based in the US during the 19th century?

• 80%

• 50%

• 60%

• 70%

What is the central theme of Melville's novel 'Moby Dick'?

• The discovery of new lands

• The invention of the steam engine

• The rise of the industrial revolution

• A quest for revenge against a white whale